The Inhibitors to Information Seeking Behavior of Nursing Students in General English and ESP Courses from University Instructors’ Perspective: A Case Study

Introduction: Investigating the information seeking behavior of nursing students in General English and ESP courses is of great importance since various factors may impact the students’ information seeking behavior. As such, the present study sought the inhibitors to the information seeking behavior of students of nursing in general English and ESP courses. Methods The study is a qualitative research that adopted a conventional content analysis. Seven faculty members of English as foreign language (EFL) who took part in the interview had the experience of teaching English for specific purposes (ESP) to nursing students. The study that was carried out in 2018 used a purposive sampling and a semi-structured interview was employed in the study.  Results: Based on the findings,143 themes emerged that were categorized into 19 sub categories and, 3 main categories; namely, behavioral, organizational, and contextual factors were the main obstacles to information seeking behavior of nursing students in general English and ESP courses. Conclusion: It was revealed that ignoring the factors which influence nursing students’ information seeking behavior may result in either students’ over- reliance on their textbooks or on their attempt to translate textbook. By so doing, they would not seek help from various other information resources. It seems necessary to pay a particular attention to the factors. By doing so, one can have a better understanding of students' information seeking behavior.